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Advanced water treatment begins on island

The Gasparilla Island Water Association now has its advanced water treatment up and running. “We turned on yesterday,” said GIWA Executive Director Ron Bolton. “We sent the ‘mixed liquor’ over.” The utility started the switch at 10 a.m. Wednesday, when the pipes were switched over. By 6 p.m., the utility was sending high quality reclaimed […]

Port Boca Grande Lighthouse reopens after hurricane closure

The Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS) will reopen the historic Port Boca Grande Lighthouse and Museum at Gasparilla Island State Park on Monday, May 5 after nearly eight months of closure due to hurricane damage.  Nestled at the southern tip of Gasparilla Island, the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, originally built in 1890, has withstood the […]

The rains came, the island got quieter

This Tuesday, the first rain of the season arrived. It was a real rain, too, precisely at 2:29 p.m., and resulted in some “nostalgic” puddles on the sides of the roads, ably slurped up by the sandy soil. It was also the first week we got word that turtles arrived on cooled-off sand, and nesting […]

Reckless irrigation usage on island results in drastic water shortage

Overuse for irrigation this week has resulted in low pressure for water on the island. “We had about 30 percent chance of running out of water,” said Ron Bolton, executive director of Gasparilla Island Water Association, reached this morning. Bolton has made individual calls to larger water clients who use irrigation. Water pressure has been […]

Rhythm and Boots

The Gibson Brothers performed their award-winning bluegrass music at the community center on Tuesday evening this week. This marked the final performance this season in the Rhythm and Boots series presented by Friends of Boca Grande. Photo submitted 

The Historian’s Dilemma: Nostalgia vs Fact on Gasparilla Island and Boca Grande

BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTORBOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER “To write history requires  a whole life of observation,  of inquiry, of labor, and correction,” Thomas Jefferson 1817 On March 14, 1986, the Boca Beacon published an adaptation from a “Letter to the Editor” originally written by Sarah Helen Pouncey. The letter is an excellent example of […]

Landscape for Gasparilla Road

Charlotte County will re-landscape Gasparilla Road, in an ordinance passed on April 8 at their regular meeting’s consent agenda. The landscape plan for County Road 771, which will be on the four-lane part of the highway from McCall Road, will cost $621,829.98, with a contract from Brightview Landscaping Services, Inc. The landscape design by Johnson […]

New leadership, organization for the Boca Grande Preschool 

Jeff Swift has been announced as the incoming president of Boca Grande Preschool Inc. This is a new not-for-profit corporation replacing the Diocese of Venice Boca Grande Preschool Program. The Preschool will be officially opening its doors in its new, temporary off island location on Monday, April 28. Jeff succeeds Angela Steffan, who will remain […]

Hideaway Bay Beach Club’s land access ferry dock reopens to Little Gasparilla

Ferryman returns making Placida/LGI runs The Little Gasparilla Island resort complex Hideaway Bay Beach Club finally has its land access open. On Saturday before last, residents were out on Placida Road fixing their parking area after their land-side dock passed inspection. “We got our ferry back,” said Maria De La Nuez, a board member who […]